off to see the boys tomorrowshould be a great day meet up with virginia ham and his lad at a couple of pubs then to the matchapparently they call their stadium the theatre of painafter we stuff them they will have to change it to the theatre of shame.

Under sultry skies, and in oppressive heat, West Ham United went head to head with the Carolina Railhawks on July 12. The stadium was sold out for the first time ever, as a sea of Claret and Blue swept into town.

On this night, we showed not only our support for our club, but also our credentials as a family team. With a young Hammer very poorly in hospital we sang his name, chanting that we are “Joel Window’s Claret and Blue Army”. A marriage proposal, from expat Michael Hardy, was made (and accepted) on the field during half time. And we sang ourselves hoarse.

The game itself started well enough. Winston Reid putting one away in the 14th minute. Unfortunately for us, he put it away in the net at the wrong end. Not to worry though, as he soon redeemed himself with a rocket of a shot to equalise.

Big Andy Carroll, having provided the assist for Reid, followed that with a goal of his own just a few minutes later, with a beautiful assist from new signing Sofiane Feghouli.

And the skies opened up. For those who haven’t seen an American thunderstorm, it really is something to behold. The wind howls (although not enough the drown out the singing Hammers), the lightning flashes to illuminate the world in stark brightness, the thunder crashed with fury. Game delayed. And restarted some 40 minutes later. With everyone quite soaked but still happy, we got back underway.Then it happens, a soft penalty for handball is netted by the Railhawks. 2-2 and it remains that way for the rest of the game.

A lot of people have questioned the value of these pre-season tours abroad, and I can appreciate the points they have made. But to those of us who were there, to those of us who may have waited years to see our heroes in front of us again, their worth is undeniable.

Not only as an exercise in showing support for our club, but also in cementing the West Ham family abroad. New friends were made and faces glowed with excitement. For the expats, a chance to re-ignite their fervour in person, and for the Americans an opportunity to see their adopted club up close, and to feel the passion they’ve previously only heard about or witnessed vicariously on the telly.

In the end, although international pre-season tours may soon become a thing of the past, we were delighted to have been a part of this one. The bond renewed, and maybe, in the heart of an American kid in the stands, at his first game, the spark is kindled.

The game itself was a forgettable affair, but support was top notch. in the opening 20 minutes we threatened to run roughshod over them. The lino in front of the supporters section was poor and had difficulty getting into position all night. The cross leading to Reid's OG was a half yard beyond the end line. Reid's equaliser a few minutes later might as well have been a penalty for all the time he had but finished well. Carroll's finish was again all too easy but well taken. Ferghouli gave a beautiful pass for the assist. He looks to have some clever vision, and if/when he develops a rhythm with the forwards, I imagine he will be very useful breaking down stubborn defences.

The railhawks were defending with a very high line, and looking back, I have to wonder if we were under strict instructions to pass our way through them instead of playing in behind and out-pacing them. Early on, Carroll chased a ball pumped into the channel and had a few yards of pace on the defender, so you can imagine the difference of our quicker players.

Second-half began with less intensity and remained that way until the rain began to fall about 10 minutes in. unfortunately the game had to be stopped in the 63rd when our vociferous support grew even louder, initially refusing to leave the stands. As stewards tried to clear the supporters section, "don't take me home" belted out for what seemed like 15 minutes. It was all in good fun though, and after pushing us to the top of the section, even the stewards seemed amused with our insistence on singing, soaking wet, through the delay. truth be told, this was probably the most entertaining part of the game. "Over land and sea" seemed particularly fitting.

I figured they would surely abandon the game rather than risk injury after cooling down but it was finally restarted after 30 minutes or so. Nonetheless, the intensity of play suggested a gentleman's agreement to avoid any sort of dangerous play. All the more ironic then, when Doneil Henry went off albeit from a collision with his teammate. The program didn't have squad numbers beyond first team players which made tracking the substitutions a bit difficult. Whoever replaced ferghouli had their left back in his pocket but between the injury and pace of play, he only had a handful of opportunities. almost all of our chances after the restart came from that side. Their penalty was another fluke. it didn't look like our player handled it so much as fell where the ball happened to be. All-in-all it was a fun day out. Ferghouli, samuelsen, and lanzini were the notable performances for me.

beginning to feel my age a bit, as I'm still exhausted from the trip. it's the equivalent of driving from london to nice and back in a 36-hour period.

Home after a 600 mile round trip to bumfuck land. Met ammerman and Kylay, shared a few beers and watched a game that lacked a bit of intensity. The groundsman at the WakeMed ground deserves 10/10 for the most immaculate grass I've ever seen.

Winston og was perfectly placed in the corner, as was his shot that brought us level. He looked like a real goal scorer.

The rain was fun, and while all the hammers stood in the rain, everyone else disappeared and then mysteriously reappeared from somewhere. The NC Police were stupid, and I was threatened with arrest for asking a question. One hammer's pitch invader was handcuffed and led out of the ground, whereupon he turned around and walked back in again and bought himself a beer.

Thanks to Kyle for all the chatter, added to the evening. My lad had a great time.

A short trip to the States will be great for Bilic to get to know these players away from all the interruptions and media crap in the UK. It's only July, let them get on with it.They seem to be enjoying it.Can only help fitness and team bonding etc...